Cedric I Dayne
Ser Cedric Dayne is the High King of the Torrentine, the Defender of the Faith and the Sword of the Morning. He represented his kingdom abroad at the Council of Harrenhal. Biography Born the eldest son of Maric II Dayne, Cedric was an obedient and attentive young man, always following his father's directive and listening well to his tutors. From an early age, he was groomed for leadership, being taught a range of topics from command and logistics to laws and history. Their family was always a pious one, for High King Maric was a devout man first and foremost, though rumours are abound that he would deal harsh punishments to his children if they did not pray several times a day. Often as a child Cedric would be found standing up for his younger brother, Arthur, whenever his father saw fit to physically punish the pair. Cedric received more beatings than most, often volunteering to take the hits for little Arthur. He remained a resilient soul throughout the years, always being able to set aside his physical pain and keep going. His vitality quickly became known throughout the castle, for the boy would spend countless hours in the training yard and always got up when knocked down. House Dayne has a long-standing history of martial prowess, and in Cedric we see this exemplified; by the age of four-and-ten he was regularly sparring with the Knights of the Palestone Order, for he found both the children his age and the castle guards too easy to beat. While he was his father’s squire, little Ced spent more time riding the lands of his people with the knights of the order than attending to his father, for his heart was filled with adventure. He became an anointed knight himself, being utterly gifted with a sword in hand and having an honourable soul. It was at the age of one-and-twenty that Cedric volunteered himself for the arduous set of trials and tasks that would prove him worthy to become the Dawnbearer, to take up the name of the Sword of the Morning, an office that had not been held for near eighty years. While House Dayne and their household dare not speak of the rituals one has to take in the crypts of Starfall, Cedric returned to them three days later a changed man, but Dawn in hand. Almost immediately, Cedric made ready his horse, and departed Starfall as is tradition. The Long Road The newfound Sword of the Morning spent three years on the road, taking only his fellow Knight of the Order Ser Symond Star as a travelling companion. It is tradition for a newfound Sword of the Morning to travel the lands of his people, learning from them and learning to stand for the poor and the downtrodden. Despite only being required to travel the length of the Torrentine, Cedric took upon what few before him had done and sought to travel Westeros, from Starfall to the Wall, and back again. Beginning with Dorne, Cedric travelled upwards through the Stormlands, into the Dusklands and the Claw, through Vale and Trident before spending half a year in the North, spending time at Winterfell and the Karhold and many other holdfasts. The pair headed south once more via a boat to Lannisport, then downwards again to Oldtown, where the Lord Hightower met him not as a potential enemy but as a visiting prince of his stature. Cedric, being a courteous guest, was well received by Lord Hightower and spent the best part of a moon coming and going from Oldtown - while odd at first, it was later revealed that Cedric and the Lord Hightower’s daughter, Lyra, were smitten with each other. Perhaps it was an attempt at defiance of the Gardener Kings that Lord Hightower proposed the match, but surely enough the pair were betrothed. They soon were wed in the ancient Sept at High Hermitage, the ceremony performed by the High Septon himself. Return and Responsibility Cedric had returned to Starfall a well-travelled knight of the realm, with a blushing bride in his arms and the greatsword Dawn upon his back. To his undue surprise, nothing had changed in the years he had been gone for, save his brother and cousins having grown somewhat older. Even his father, who had once been turgid and abusive, seemed proud to have his son back. The Torrentine was at peace, its prodigal son returned, and it was a happy time. Cedric served on his father’s council for many years, acting as the Knight of the Tower, a position usually held by the heir to Starfall and therefore an apt choice. His responsibilities were mainly to oversee the city guard and the fortifications of the city, which in turn allowed Cedric plenty of time to be at his father’s side and learn what it meant to be king. Ced didn’t bury his head in swords and stone, however, taking a newfound interest in the castle library after encountering his great-uncle Malwyn, the Archmaester of Astronomy, during his time in Oldtown. Cedric became a scholar in his own right, finding all manner of topic intriguing, from history to medicines to the stars themselves. Cedric and Lyra were blessed with a child of their own after many moons of trying, for Lyra’s womb seemed dry and barren, until one day the Maester reported that she was with child. A girl was born, named Nymeria for the warrior-queen of old, with her father’s pale-blonde hair and her mother’s enchanting hazel-green eyes. Nymeria was raised as both princess and warrior, future queen and future warleader. Fierce of heart but still her father’s little girl, Nymeria nears her sixteenth nameday a bright-eyed beauty. The Gallows King (Thorn's War) Perhaps it was cruel fate, then, that Cedric’s happiness did not last. The couple and their daughter had been visiting his good wife Lyra’s family, the Hightowers, in Oldtown. All had gone well, Gardener hadn’t attempted to crush the union, and they had set sail back home under a setting sun...only for Vortimer Flowers’ warship, The Oakenfist, and countless others to chance upon them on their route to the Torrentine. Cedric joined the fighting on the deck, clearing countless waves of pirates before the Gallows King had a net thrown over him, his hands bound, and the Prince thrown into the ocean, Dawn with him. When Cedric awoke, he was on the beach, drenched wet through, clutching Dawn in his unbound hands. Considering it a blessing from the stars, Ced made for a nearby village and from there rode hard for Starfall. He had only made it as far as Sunoak, one of the many port towns along the mouth of the Torrentine (and one of those from where Starfall raised levies) only to find it a smouldering ruin. Flowers’ pirates had hanged half the inhabitants, he was told, and made for pastures further inland. Riding hard once more, Ced soon found himself back at Starfall, where his father unsympathetically ordered him to join his brother Arthur in the preparation of a fleet to “''send the dogs back to their watery graves''”. Dutifully, the exhausted Cedric agreed, sharpening Dawn and finding himself a suit of armour. Reunited with his younger brother, they immediately set out to find the pirate fleet that had slipped past Starfall further up the Torrentine’s mighty flow. Within half a day’s sail, black sails had been spotted on the horizon, and hands made ready for battle. The two fleets met in a cataclysmic mess of wood and fire, blood and bone, and the Dayne ships were of superior quality, proving an uneasy victor. They had found half the estimated strength of the pirates, only to receive reports of the Oakenfist and countless others approaching Starfall itself. They made sail south once more, using the flow of the river to their advantage, to find the city under siege from land and sea. Vortimer Flowers had disembarked half his men, having near four-thousand men-at-arms upon the ground, and near twenty longships blockading the port. Cedric took a rowboat under cover of nightfall into one of the countless coves of the island, while Arthur lead a valiant yet fruitless attempt to lift the blockade. As the sun rose, Vortimer Flowers marched across the wailing bridge with a minor retinue and called for an audience with King Maric. His request was met - from the battlements, the sickly Maric peered down at the pirate bastard who had caused his people so much strife. It is not recorded what exactly Vortimer had asked for, or if he had asked anything at all, but before long two hostages were brought before the gate. Sacks were removed from their heads, showing the pair to be Lyra Hightower and Nymeria Dayne. King Maric began to bluster with offers of gold and ships, but he was silenced as the Gallows King drove a pale dagger deep into Lyra’s chest. Vortimer then slit her throat, and pushed her kneeling body to the floor, corpse lying in front of her crying daughter. The gate opened within a minute, and out flew the Sword of the Morning, Dawn in hand and fire in his heart-broken eyes. Vortimer pushed Nymeria down, into the blood and the stone, turning to run back to his men. It did not matter much. Behind Cedric ran the Knights of the Order, and behind them the entirety of the City Guard had rallied. A fierce melee broke out on the shores beyond the bridge, while Arthur Dayne’s fleet crashed against the pirate longships once more. Before long, the day was won and the pirate lords captured, but nothing would replace the love that had left Cedric’s world. Duty, Even Through Darkness By this time King Durrandon had begun his invasion of the Greenbelt, having fought several battles already, and soon enough the Yronwoods sent out a plea for help. King Maric, having turned craven from their recent losses, ordered that they were to do nothing and “let Durrandon have his way with them.” Maric also believed that Yronwood had funded Flowers’ invasion, and would not lift a finger to help those who sought his demise. Knowing that a Durrandon victory would only lead to their own eventual conquest, Prince Cedric rallied the Knights of the Order and a small portion of his father’s levy, and marched for Yronwood lands. It was at Wyl that they met, marching onwards from there to meet Durrandon in the field. In the ensuing battle Durrandon found himself in a disadvantageous position, pressed against the Red Mountains with little room to maneuver. Deciding against standing his ground he sounded the retreat, and the Stormlanders turned north. Despite the prejudice of his father, Cedric had fought alongside their mortal enemies in the hope of a Dorne free from war or foreign rule. He hoped it would be the start of a beautiful friendship between the two kingdoms, though he knew it would not be the case while his father still reigned. Soon, King Maric began to fall ill as he grew older, suffering from various ailments that were taking great physical and mental toll. Cedric was forced to take on more and more responsibility in the years that followed, as was Arthur. The brothers now rule in all but name, and at this time of great uncertainty they are forced into action. Arthur acts as regent of Starfall while Cedric and Nymeria ride north, to represent the Torrentine at the Council of Harrenhal.Category:House Dayne Category:Sword of the Morning Category:Knight Category:Dornish